Spartan Avenue
Fansided

Michigan State Basketball: Game-by-game predictions for 2019-20 season

By Connor Muldowney

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 15: Xavier Tillman #23 and Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrate after beating the Ohio State Buckeyes 77-70 during the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at the United Center on March 15, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 15: Xavier Tillman #23 and Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrate after beating the Ohio State Buckeyes 77-70 during the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at the United Center on March 15, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 9
Next
EAST LANSING, MI – MARCH 09: Xavier Tillman #23 of the Michigan State Spartans battles for a rebound against Ignas Brazdeikis #13 and Jon Teske #15 of the Michigan Wolverines during the second half at Breslin Center on March 9, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI – MARCH 09: Xavier Tillman #23 of the Michigan State Spartans battles for a rebound against Ignas Brazdeikis #13 and Jon Teske #15 of the Michigan Wolverines during the second half at Breslin Center on March 9, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

vs. Illinois (Jan. 2)

Illinois is going to be a much better team this season than many people expect. While the Fighting Illini finished just 12-21 last year, they did beat the Spartans in their only matchup of the season. Ayo Dosunmu could be one of those Spartan killers who makes an upset at the Breslin look possible, but in the end, Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman will be too much. Gabe Brown will come off the bench to have a huge game and help avoid the trap with Michigan coming up next.

Final Score: Illinois 71, Michigan State 78 (13-1, 3-0)

vs. Michigan (Jan. 5)

Juwan Howard’s first game in this rivalry as Michigan’s head coach will be intense and his Wolverines will be better than people give them credit for, but they’re just not ready to contend for the Big Ten title this season. I do believe this will be a ranked battle in East Lansing and it’ll be closely-contested, but Zavier Simpson will continue to struggle against Cassius and the Spartans will have an answer for everything the Wolverines throw at them.

Final Score: Michigan 68, Michigan State 79 (14-1, 4-0)

vs. Minnesota (Jan. 9)

If you’re Minnesota, you have to be wondering just how much longer you’re going to trust Richard Pitino leading the program, especially since he can’t seem to get the Gophers over the hump. The last time these two teams played, the Spartans molly-whopped the Gophers in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to get to a Sweet 16 and now they’re losing Amir Coffey, Jordan Murphy, Dupree McBrayer and Isaiah Washington. Minnesota will be in rebuild mode with Daniel Oturu as the lone star.

Final Score: Minnesota 60, Michigan State 85 (15-1, 5-0)

at No. 23 Purdue (Jan. 12)

Michigan State could very well be the No. 1 team in the country when it visits West Lafayette to take on a tough Purdue team that I believe will be ranked close to the top 15. The Boilermakers may have lost Carsen Edwards and Ryan Cline, but they always seem to find a way to contend for Big Ten titles even with role players stepping up. Trevion Williams is going to give Michigan State a tough time in this one and Nojel Eastern will be just consistent enough to be a headache for Cassius Winston and Co. An undefeated Big Ten season will be no more as the Spartans go down in upset fashion and Boilermaker fans rush the court.

Final Score: Michigan State 70, Purdue 75 (15-2, 5-1)

Home/Spartans Basketball